Golden brands of 1978

In the archive of 50 golden brands, it was a year of wonder women, golden cigarettes and the Atari 2600

As a red and blue lycra-clad Wonder Woman ker-powed onto our screens, another wonder woman of sorts was making an impact. Margaret Thatcher, leader of the opposition party, had engaged Saatchi & Saatchi ad agency to help win the General Election.

Although the election didn’t take place until the following year, 1978 saw a raft of political advertising including the memorable poster campaign ‘Labour isn’t working’. The ad had a huge impact, largely because it was denounced by Labour’s Denis Healey in Parliament.

A striking series of photomontages and cinema films for B&H Gold, by Collett Dickenson Pearce at the peak of its success, featured the gold pack of cigarettes in various surreal juxtapositions and transformations, devoid of words and people.

1978 was also the year of electronic games. The Atari 2600 with its woodgrain console and stubby rubber joysticks became a livingroom fixture in many homes, featuring games such as Tennis and Space War. Then there was Simon, a plastic circle with four-coloured quarters that flashed and beeped.

Across the Atlantic, two men called Ben and Jerry opened an icecream parlour in a renovated petrol station in Vermont.